Railroad-spike.



V. P. FULENWIDBR. RAILROAD SPIKE. APPLIOATION FILED 00T. 24, 1911.

LZQQ. Patented May?, 1912.

vANcn i?. FULENWIDER, or '.ionnsisono, ARKANSAS.

RAILnoAnsPIKE. l

To all whom z'may concern.'

Be it known that I, VANCE Fonciawinne, a citizen of the United States, resid- -ing at'Jonesbormfin the county of Craighead and State of Arkansas, have invented new andv useful vImprovements in Railroad Spikes7 of which the. following is a speciiication.

This invention relates t-o railroad spikes, or likev fastenings,' t-he object of 'the invention being to provide-nieans for securely anchoring the spike` to its support.

Another objeet of the invention is to provide a spikewhi'ch will include prongs adapted to be deflected in opposite directions when driving the'spike and to construct the pro-ngs4 vso asl to insure'their proper spreading to anchoring positions'.

driving point 3.

lower end each In the drawing', forming aportion ot this vspecification and in which like numerals of reference indicate siinilar parts in the sev- -eral views z-l `igure l is aside View of the spike. Fig. '2 is a siinilar view showing the spike in Aits anchored position in the rail tie or object with which it is engaged.I Fig. 3 is an edge view of the spike.. -The'spike comprises a niain shank] and an 'auxiliary driving shank 2,* they latter being tapered "downwardly from the lower end of the inain shank l and terminating in 'a The s hank'l is provided with integral side nehoring prongs 4 which are identically constructed.- Cach prong with ano-liter eoncaved si'lrtacei'i and aty the prong is provided with a pointeddriving `end -Gha ving thecompanion surfaces 7 and- 8 `which are 'arranged inl in tersecting planes, theinnei; surfaces 8 ot the prong being loiigei'tlia|i the outer sur* faces?, and as illustrated, they terminate l at their upper ends approximately at the medial .line of the auxiliary shank, being tlared'ou-twardly from the fiared sidesur faces oit t'hej shank 2 so as to provide rela- Specification of Letters Patent. application vinea october 24, 191i.

Ip rovidedsubsta'nti ally throughout its length.

ratentediuay 7, 1912. Serial No. 656,419.

tively large .substantially V-recesses 10 between thev points of the prongs 4 and the shank 2.

The bevel surfaces of thev point 3 at the lower end of t-he shank 2 terminate in planes slightly above tlie'points of the prongs L This construction is suoli that the material displaced .by the point 3 when the spike is driven into a rail tie or the like will be deiiected in the direction of the surfaces 8 .on the vpoints of the prongs 4,. causing the inaterial to wedge between the inner sui faces of the points 'of the prongs 4 and the side 'surfaces of the shank 2. :This eftfect-ively insures the rapid spreading of t-he prongs t to their anchored positions. By

-providing the prongs Il with t-lie coneaved .outer.s ui'faces' I also provide for the elective and rapid spreading of the prongs to their. anchored positions.

The in'ain shank l is provided with a suitable driving head 11..

I' claiin:`

in 'spike comprising a main shank, an auxiliary shank thereon, tlieauxiliary shank being tapered downwardly and provided with a ,lower driving prongs iiorining an integral part oi the main shank and extending downwardly againstthe sides of the auxiliary Shankand provided with beveled inner surfaces which eX'- tend downwardly and away frointlie sides lof the auxiliary shanknthe walls ofthe tapered point, and' tapered point of the auxiliary shank being` l extended in the direct-ion of the beveled surfaces ot the/prongs, the outer surfaces ot' the said prongs being concaved longitudinally for th'epurpose described.

` [n testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

vanos P. FULENWIDER. y Witnesses: i

D. J. Dm, G. BROOKS. 

